Improvement in knitting-machines



H. .Gil NTHER. Knitting-Machines.

' -Patented Jan. 14, 1873.

AM PHOT0-UTH06IMPHI8 00. N. Mosaamzls Pnocsss) UNITED STATES PATENTOFEIoE.

HUGO GUNTHEB, on NEW YORK, N. Y, AssIeNoR TO HIMSELF AND CHARLES LurPnIiv, OF sAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,881, dated January14, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGO Gi'INTHER, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Knitting-Machine, of whichthe following is a specification:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of my improvedknitting-machine; Fig. 2 is a side view of the needle-bed; and Fig. 3 aninside view of the cams used in the movable carriage.

This invention has for its object to simplify the needle motion ofknitting-machines, and to provide means for protecting the needles frominjury to the greatest possible extent.

In the ordinary machines now in use the needles destroyed duringoperation constitute the largest and quite a considerable item ofexpense in operating the machine, and they are easily injured, becausethe friction to be overcome in operating them is considerable. In thismachine the needle-bed is extended downwardly, and also the grooves inthe same, for the reception of an additional series of needles, whichare pusher or setter needles only,

for pushing the latch-needles up, the downward motion of the latterbeing produced by the wing-cams directly moving the same in the ordinarymanner. p The invention consists in a new arrangement of cams inthe-lock of the slide or carriage of the knitting-machine, in whicharrangement the upper or wing cams are set as usual to move thelatch-needles downward while in the lower part of the lock. The V-shapeddriving or raising cam is set further down than usual, in order to applyto and operate the settingneedles, and not to the latch-needles. Thiswill, of course, allow power to be applied to the setting-needles, sothat they, when raised, will move the latch-needles. The latter willthereby be greatly protected, and if any injury is done by theelevating-cam it is only done to the setting-needles, which areinexpensive and easily replaced, so that the latch-needles willconsequently be less liable to injury.

The letter A in the drawing represents the needle-bed, grooved on itsupper face for the reception of the latch-needles B in the usual manner.The bed is extended downwardly to receive in each groove an additionalneedle, 0, which is used to push the latch-needle above it upward. Theselatch-needles (l are straight wires, with outwardly-projecting lugs a attheir lower ends, which lugs are similar to the outwardly-projectinglugs b at the lower ends of the latch-needles. Across the needle-bed islaid a rail, 11, which divides, without interrupting, the grooves of theneedle-bed into upper and lower portions, and serves as a rest for thelatch-needles when the same are drawn down. The setting-needles reachthe latch-needles from under said rail (1. c is the upper rail on theneedle-bed, arranged in the usual manner. f is a rail at the lower edgeof the needle-bed, to prevent the setting-needles from falling out. Foreach setting-needle there isprovided a spring, g, in the lower part ofthe bed plate groove, by which spring said set ting-needles may bepushed upward to be engaged by the elevating-cam after they have beenspecially drawn down by hand to be out of play, so as to allow thelatch-:needle per taining to it to remain undisturbed when out ofoperation, for a latch'needle cannot be raised when its setting-needleis out of reach ofthe elevating-cam. D is the knitting-machine car riageor movable slide, in which there is a lock for moving the needles in andout or up and down. This lock consists, as usually of the upperwing-cams h h, which, taking hold of the lugs I), draw the latch-needlesdown, and also of the V-shaped elevating-cam t, which in ordinaryknitting-machines takes hold of the lugs b from beneath to raise thelatch-needles. In my improved machine, however, the elevating-cam i isset so far down that it will take hold of the lugs a on thesetting-needles in place of taking hold of the lugs b, so that thelatch-needles are not raised by direct con tact with the lock,-but onlyby being pushed up by the setting-needles.

It is quite evident that the latch-needles will be considerablyprotected by being saved the direct contact with the elevating-cam 13,the said cam producing the greatest friction on the needles and oftentending to injure them by breaking off their lugs b. All this frictionis now transferred to the setting-needles, which, even if they shouldbreak, are considerably cheaper than latch-needles and more conven ientto replace.

Whenever any one of the latch-needles is to The combination, with latchand settingneedles of a knitting-machine lockycomposed of the'cams h hand i, which are placed so far apart that the upper cams h It willdepress the latch-needles While the lower cam iwill elevate thesetting-needles, substantially as herein shown and described.

HUGO GUNTHER.

Witnesses A. V. BRIESEN, CHAS. LUPPRIAN.

